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Natural hazards · Westford

Westford, MA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Westford comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1979. 12 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations
Expected damage

How exposed is Westford?

18
Very low
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Westford to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding66%Hurricanes10%Earthquakes10%Everything else15%
By hazard

What Westford faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

66% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 29% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

10% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Westford flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Westford, from FEMA’s records.

8paid claims since 1979
$27Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19792026

Biggest named events

  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 4 claims, $23K
  • Not a named storm: 2 claims, $2K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Westford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Middlesex County.
Disasters that hit Westford

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Westford itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Westford.

Brought FEMA money into WestfordDeclared for Middlesex County only
2018

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$94K to the Town of Westford for repairs
2015

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$170K to the Town of Westford for repairs
2013

Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding

$119K to the Town of Westford for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

$41K to the Town of Westford for repairs
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$83K to the Town of Westford for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

112 households applied for aid $189K aid approved $27K to the Town of Westford for repairs
2008

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding

$537K to the Town of Westford for repairs
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

17 households applied for aid $35K aid approved $18K to the Town of Westford for repairs
2005

Record And/Or Near Record Snow

$86K to the Town of Westford for repairs
2004

Flooding

3 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
2003

Snow

$125K to the Town of Westford for repairs
2001

Snow

$69K to the Town of Westford for repairs
Middlesex County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Westford

Westford and the towns around it

Chelmsford: Low, mostly inland floodingLittleton: Very low, mostly inland floodingGroton: Very low, mostly inland floodingCarlisle: Very low, mostly inland floodingTyngsborough: Low, mostly inland floodingActon: Very low, mostly inland floodingLowell: Moderate, mostly inland floodingBillerica: Very low, mostly inland floodingAyer: Very low, mostly inland floodingBoxborough: Very low, mostly inland floodingHarvard: Very low, mostly inland floodingShirley: Very low, mostly inland floodingPepperell: Low, mostly inland floodingDunstable: Very low, mostly inland floodingBedford: Very low, mostly inland floodingConcord: Very low, mostly inland floodingDracut: Moderate, mostly inland floodingStow: Low, mostly inland floodingWestford: Very low, mostly inland flooding WestfordChelmsfordLittletonGrotonCarlisleTyngsboroughActon
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Tyngsboroughmostly inland floodingLow
Chelmsfordmostly inland floodingLow
Grotonmostly inland floodingVery low
Actonmostly inland floodingVery low
Westfordmostly inland floodingVery low
Littletonmostly inland floodingVery low
Carlislemostly inland floodingVery low
About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Westford covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Westford’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Westford. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Westford total about $5.2M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.

The coffee’s on

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You’re in Westford, MAMiddlesex CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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